External Action Research Articles

EU resilience in investment protection: a case for revisiting and reinforcing the loyalty principle in EU external relations

Abstract This article explores the concept of European Union (EU) resilience in the area of investment protection and Investor–State dispute settlement. The article adopts a functional approach to investment protection and suggests that reforming dispute settlement procedures in line with current Commission initiatives is key to promoting open strategic autonomy for the EU. Support for those initiatives is however weak, also among EU Member States. It is argued that EU resilience requires new tools for more unity and coherence in external EU action, both generally and for the reform of Investor–State dispute settlement in particular. The tool devised here is an increased loyalty standard coupled with a justification test, based on both a modernized comprehensive reading of loyalty obligations in primary law and the effectiveness principle and rationale as applied in case law. The novel approach promises significantly better results in terms of commanding coherence in external action while fully respecting the principle of conferred powers. It challenges traditional power dynamics, but incorporates a bold vision for external EU action that is truly autonomous and assertive.

Optimal and Quasi-Optimal Automatic Tuning of Vibration Neutralizers

Vibration neutralizers are single-degree-of-freedom devices affixed to vibrating structures in order to reduce the response at a specific troublesome harmonic excitation frequency. As this frequency may vary over time, it becomes imperative to track and adjust the neutralizer to maintain the optimal performance. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of adaptive tunable vibration neutralizers, offering real-time adjustment capabilities through external actions. Thanks to real-time control algorithms, these devices enable the automatic mitigation of vibration levels in mechanical structures. A particularly successful algorithm for the automatic tuning of these devices leverages the phase angle between the base acceleration and the neutralizer’s mass. This study critically examines the justification for employing such an algorithm and scrutinizes its optimal applicability limits, particularly in the context of viscous and structurally damped systems. The findings reveal that this algorithm accurately approximates optimum tuning for systems with low damping. Moreover, from an engineering perspective, the algorithm remains acceptable even for heavily damped structures. Through a focused and comprehensive analysis, this paper provides valuable insights into the efficacy and limitations of the phase-angle-based tuning algorithm, contributing to the advancement of adaptive vibration control strategies in smart structures.

Coupled Axisymmetric Thermoelectroelasticity Problem for a Round Rigidly Fixed Plate

Introduction. To describe the operation of temperature piezoceramic structures, the theory of thermoelectroelasticity is used, in which the mathematical model is formulated as a system of nonself-adjoint differential equations.  The complexity of its integration in general leads to the study of problems in an unrelated formulation. This does not allow us to evaluate the effect of electroelastic fields on temperature. The literature does not present studies on these problems in a three-dimensional coupled formulation in which closed solutions would be constructed. At the same time, conducting such studies allows us to understand the interaction picture of mechanical, thermal and electric fields in a structure. To solve this problem, a new closed solution of a coupled problem for a piezoceramic round rigidly fixed plate has been constructed in this research. It provides for qualitative assessment of the cross impact of thermoelectroelastic fields in this electroelastic system.Materials and Methods. The object of the study is a piezoceramic plate. The case of unsteady temperature change on its upper front surface is considered, taking into account the convection heat exchange of the lower plane with the environment (boundary conditions of the 1st and 3rd kind). The electric field induced as a result of the thermal strain generation is fixed by connecting the electrodated surfaces to the measuring device. The thermoelectroelasticity problem includes the equations of equilibrium, electrostatics, and the unsteady hyperbolic heat equation. It is solved by the generalized method of finite biorthogonal transformation, which makes it possible to construct a closed solution of a nonself-adjoint system of equations.Results. A new closed solution of the coupled axisymmetric thermoelectroelasticity problem for a round plate made of piezoceramic material was constructed.Discussion and Conclusion. The obtained solution to the initial boundary value problem made it possible to determine the temperature, electric and elastic fields induced in a piezoceramic element under arbitrary temperature axisymmetric external action. The calculations performed provided determining the dimensions of solid electrodes, which made it possible to increase the functionality of piezoceramic transducers. Numerical analysis of the results enabled us to identify new connections between the nature of external temperature action, the deformation process, and the value of the electric field in a piezoceramic structure. This can validate a proper program of experiments under their designing and significantly reduce the volume of field studies.

EU’s External Action and Russia: How Can Institutionalisation Affect Decision Making?

The independent role of international institutions has been taken to be the core of the debate between institutionalists and realists. This study explores the EU’s relations with Russia in two cases as a testbed for this debate. Institutional independence, meaning restriction on the ambitions of powerful states on the one hand, and the impact of less powerful states on decisions on the other, are taken here to be the opposite of the power politics of realism. Two cases are studied to show how the EU safeguards the rights and interests of small members and restrains the ambitions of powerful ones to make the case for the institutionalists’ argument. The article also shows how a supranational entity like the European Commission is relatively more successful than an intergovernmental one like the Council of Europe in furthering institutionalisation, even in high-profile cases which are lynchpins of the EU’s Russia policy. This is in line with institutionalists’ argument about the significance of institutionalisation, as the European Commission, through its regulatory mechanism, sets overarching rules and links issues, brings transparency by forcing information sharing, dispels the fear of cheating and paves the ground for more comparative empirical research to evaluate the depth of institutionalisation in supranational and intergovernmental institutions.

Be(com)ing an Educational Researcher in the Global South (and Beyond): A Focus on the Research-Practice Relationship

Educational researchers are increasingly expected to focus on their research productivity as per their professional performance. Such a trend may have influenced their professional identities and activities, especially in the Global South, where researchers have not been immersed in the new research culture and where their assumed primary role may be to increase teaching efficacy instead. The pervasive focus on research productivity is detrimental to the equitable research-practice relationship whereby two groups of professionals—practitioners and researchers—collaboratively work to achieve the common goal of student learning. This teacher-researcher epistemological clash may exist within individual researchers when they have abundant teaching experience prior to becoming educational researchers. Through the lens of activity theory, we report on a case study of educational researchers’ lived experiences and struggles of navigating teacher-researcher identities in Chile, entailing their boundary-crossing of teacher-researcher identities, internal and external identity conflicts, and beliefs and actions related to the ideal research-practice relationship. In conclusion, we call for changes at the institutional level to promote an equitable and manageable research-practice relationship as well as at the individual level to reflect the ultimate purpose of educational research.

Social trust and the stringency of public policies against the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT One may wonder why countries have used different public policies to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. We argue that social trust could be the missing link in explaining why these public policies vary in stringency. Based on the logic of game theory, we draw the hypothesis that more social trust in a society means that less stringent policies are needed to abate the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical results at both country and individual levels confirm this hypothesis. The implications for public policy stemming from these findings suggest the necessity of addressing initiatives like Team Europe’s 2020 package launched by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to combat Covid-19 in non-EU nations. The more social trust in a society, the higher the likelihood of informal cooperation. Thus, less stringent policies are needed to abate the COVID-19 pandemic. In perspective, policymakers are likely to encounter fewer compliance issues and more cooperative behavior in countries with high levels of trust when confronting future crises.

The unintended consequences of the EU’s engagement in contested states: the case of Cyprus

ABSTRACT The academic scrutiny of the EU’s engagement in contested states focuses predominantly on purposeful aims disregarding collateral outcomes that still occur despite the EU’s desire or willingness to pursue them. Aimed at unfolding a whole new layer of latent dependencies, this research draws on the concept of unintended consequences in order to address the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of such outcomes on the EU’s external action in contested states. In particular, taking stock of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ contested statehood, this article exhibits unintended and/or unexpected outcomes with significant reverberations on the EU’s broader engagement in Cyprus. Largely, it is argued that the EU membership of the RoC institutionalized asymmetry of power, thus reinforcing partition. In turn, that nurtured a grim consequence for the EU and its aspiration to utilize EU prospect as a catalyst for reunification.

Equivalent layer-wise theory for the hygro-thermo-magneto-electro-elastic analysis of laminated curved shells

The paper presents a multifield formulation involving five different physical problems under the equilibrium thermodynamic conditions for laminated doubly-curved shell structures. More specifically, the study focuses on the coupling between the mechanical elasticity and the thermo-hygrometric problem, while also considering the magneto-electricity of the solid. The configuration variables are described with a generalized formulation based on the Equivalent Layer Wise (ELW) approach, taking into account higher order polynomial interpolations along the thickness direction. The fundamental relations are derived from the Master Balance principle and solved using the Navier's method. Furthermore, the three-dimensional response of the doubly-curved shell solid in terms of primary and secondary variables is recovered from the two-dimensional solution with a methodology based on the three-dimensional multifield balance equations and the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) numerical technique. Some examples are then presented in which panels of different curvatures and lamination schemes are investigated. The results are compared with success to those coming from three-dimensional numerical models developed with a commercial software. It is shown that the present analytical solution is a valid tool for modelling multifield problems for the evaluation of the response of doubly-curved shells under generalized external actions and pre-determined values of the configuration variables.

The Tools of External Migration Policy in the EU Member States: The Case of Italy

AbstractThis article focuses on the external dimension of migration policy (EXMIPO) in the EU member states (MSs), through a policy tool approach. It offers an analytical framework for conceptualizing MS EXMIPO, by (1) unpacking its tools and (2) understanding their relationship with EU‐level migration governance, as based on competition, convergence and complementarity. Empirically, it examines the case of Italy, building on an original dataset spanning over 30 years and 125 instruments. Through the Italian case, this article demonstrates that MSs have developed an intense external action at the bilateral level in the field of migration, which has expanded quantitatively and qualitatively, alongside (and despite) EU initiatives.

Ensuring Seismic Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Buildings

There are a large number of works on a comprehensive assessment of the seismic resistance of buildings and structures. However, these studies, as a rule, do not take into account the random nature of the seismic impact, which is a pronounced non-stationary random process. An adequate assessment of the seismic resistance of buildings and structures is possible only on the basis of methods that allow taking into account the large variability of seismic impact parameters. The article presents a probabilistic method for calculating multi-storey reinforced concrete buildings designed in seismic regions, taking into account the interaction of a building with a non-linearly deformable foundation. The developed technique makes it possible to provide the required level of seismic resistance for the designed buildings based on the non-collapse criterion. As an ex-ample, the calculation of a multi-storey reinforced concrete building is considered. External seismic action is represented as a non-stationary random process. The external seismic action is considered as a non-stationary random process, which is obtained by multiplying the stationary random process by a deterministic envelope function. The parameters necessary for constructing the envelope and the stationary random process were obtained from the results of processing the available database of intense earthquakes. The stationary random process was generated by the shaping filter method. The impact parameters are based on the results of processing the available database of intense earthquakes. When modeling reinforced concrete structures, a concrete model is used with the function of damage accumulation under cyclic loads, as well as taking into ac-count the degradation of the strength and stiffness of the material during an intense earthquake. Accounting for the interaction of the building with the soil base is implemented using the SSI interface (Soil Structure Interaction). To prevent the influence of waves reflected from the boundaries of a limited ground massif, a PML layer (Perfectly Matched Layer) is used. The calculation was carried out using explicit methods for integrating the equations of motion on a computing cluster using parallel computing technology. The presented technique makes it possible to investigate the nature of the destruction of reinforced concrete structures during intense earthquakes and to identify zones with a deficiency in bearing capacity. The proposed probabilistic approach to modeling seismic impact as an implementation of a non-stationary random process with given parameters, together with taking into account the nonlinear deformation of the reinforced concrete structures of the building and foundation, allows you to control the level of reliability and design buildings with a given seismic resistance.

Critical insecurities? The European Union’s strategy for a stable supply of minerals

Abstract The green transition is creating exponential needs for critical minerals. As demand currently exceeds supply for many of these minerals, governments worldwide are devising strategies to secure stable procurements of the minerals they lack as well as to ensure that they reap the benefits of their own natural wealth. The European Union (EU) is in a difficult position in this regard due to limited domestic reserves and, thus, serves as an ideal case study to explore developments in international economic law on this issue. Internally, the EU has been reforming its financing mechanisms, developing risk management tools, and enhancing recycling. Externally, the EU has been using international trade tools to focus on access to supply rather than traditional market access issues while also developing new investment rules to open doors and protect its foreign investors in extractive industries. Both internal and external actions are being coordinated with allies through new cooperative mechanisms. However, challenges abound. These strategies will face resistance from resource-abundant economies in view of their growing demand for policy space to protect their own mineral sector. Such strategies are also inherently competitive and, hence, might lead to growing tensions among resource-seeking economies themselves.

Strategic Autonomy, REPowerEU And The Internal Energy Market: Untying The Gordian Knot

The “open” strategic autonomy discourse now serves altogether as a new narrative and overarching principle of EU energy policy. This article conceptualizes EU strategic energy autonomy (SEA) as the Union’s ability to choose autonomously its own path towards a decarbonized “energy mix”. Realizing EU SEA demands a more holistic energy policy to tackle external dependence on foreign suppliers of energy commodities, technologies, and raw materials critical to the green transition. In this context, joint external action is important; but coordinated internal action is even more so, as the nature and magnitude of external constraints also depend on internal choices among the Member States concerning transition pathways. The article focuses on the internal dimension of EU energy policy. The REPowerEU plan and related emergency measures adopted under Article 122 TFEU to guarantee solidarity in tackling the impending energy crisis only brought a partial answer and once again raised the question of the EU competence to act on energy security issues. It is argued that the shared competence and related limitations foreseen in the TFEU should not prevent the EU from implementing a long-term holistic policy to pursue a resilient decarbonization policy throughout the energy value chains. The EU may well become more relevant than in the past when it comes to the energy security of Member States. New regulatory tools may be needed to support the integrity of the cornerstone of EU energy policy to date – the internal energy market – in the pursuit of an “open” SEA. The potential contribution to safeguarding “open” SEA from EU foreign direct investment screening, the forthcoming carbon border adjustment mechanism, and the new EUforeign subsidy regulation are discussed in this context.

Reputation Strategy for Special Schools (SLB) Sambit District Student Home

Education in a country has a very important role in ensuring the survival of the nation, because education is a vehicle for increasing and developing one's potential so that quality human resources can be achieved. Reputation is an important asset for an organization because public trust is built on reputation. Reputation is not something that is fixed. Sometimes the reputation increases and sometimes decreases. For this reason, efforts are needed to maintain reputation. The approach used in this study is a qualitative descriptive approach, in which the researcher directly obtains information from informants while still referring to qualitative research guidelines. The determination of informants was carried out using a purposive sampling technique. Using internal reputation strategies (internal school) and external actions (external schools) can be used as a basis for determining strategies to build school reputation so that later it can optimize the implementation process and also develop strategies to build school reputation. 

Viscoelastic dynamics of a soft strip subject to a large deformation.

To produce sounds, we adjust the tension of our vocal folds to shape their properties and control the pitch. This efficient mechanism offers inspiration for designing reconfigurable materials and adaptable soft robots. However, understanding how flexible structures respond to a significant static strain is not straightforward. This complexity also limits the precision of medical imaging when applied to tensioned organs like muscles, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels among others. In this article, we experimentally and theoretically explore the dynamics of a soft strip subject to a substantial static extension, up to 180%. Our observations reveal a few intriguing effects, such as the resilience of certain vibrational modes to a static deformation. These observations are supported by a model based on the incremental displacement theory. This has promising practical implications for characterizing soft materials but also for scenarios where external actions can be used to tune properties.

Análise dinâmica de uma laje aliviada biaxial submetida a ações humanas

Abstract The bi-axial hollow slab is the result of applying a technology that removes concrete from the least useful region and replaces it with hollow plastic spheres. This technique leads to material economy and self-weight saving, without considerable inertial loss, enabling larger and more flexible spans. Consequently, these spans are vulnerable to unwanted vibrations and dynamic acceleration caused by external actions, such as movements produced by human activity. This way, understanding the dynamic behavior of this technology and confronting it with normative limits on the project phase is essential for a good performance in the serviceability limit state, bringing comfort to the user. This paper studies the dynamic behavior of a bi-axial hollow slab submitted to human actions, such as jumping, dancing, clapping, moving the body, and moving and clapping at the same time. For that, this work made a numerical model of the structure and applied dynamic actions to it. The numerical results show that, for most of the actions, normative limits are satisfied, but the slab presents excessive accelerations in the case of jumping and dancing.

Building Authentic Connection in the Patient-Physician Relationship.

Delivering optimal patient care is impacted by a physician's ability to build trusting relationships with patients. Identifying techniques for rapport building is important for promoting patient-physician collaboration and improved patient outcomes. This study sought to characterize the approaches highly skilled primary care physicians (PCPs) use to effectively connect with diverse patients. Using an inductive thematic analysis approach, we analyzed semi-structured interview transcripts with 10 PCPs identified by leadership and/or colleagues for having exceptional patient communication skills. PCPs practiced in 3 diverse clinic settings: (1) academic medical center, (2) Veterans Affairs clinic, and (3) safety-net community clinic. The thematic analysis yielded 5 themes that enable physicians to establish connections with patients: Respect for the Patient, Engaged Curiosity, Focused Listening, Mutual Participation, and Self-Awareness. Underlying all of these themes was a quality of authenticity, or a state of symmetry between one's internal experience and external words and actions. Adopting these communication techniques while allowing for adaptability in order to remain authentic in one's interactions with patients may facilitate improved connection and trust with patients. Encouraging physician authenticity in the patient-physician relationship supports a shift toward relationship-centered care. Additional medical education training is needed to facilitate authentic connection between physicians and patients.

Response of the European Union on Return Directive and Readmission Agreements (RDRAs) on Nigerian Irregular Migrants

This study appraised the EU RDRAs on Nigerian irregular migrants and examined the challenges of RDRAs on Nigerian irregular migrants. The study made use of primary sources of data through in-depth interview conducted on EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, European External Action Service, Frontex, International Organisation for Migration, Idia Renaissance, Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons. Findings from the study showed that two types of return directive exits; voluntary return and enforced return. Voluntary returnees are provided with Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) while enforced returnees are not provided with AVRR, and they are likely detained, escorted by the policemen through the back door and corridor of the airport and deported to Nigeria or transit countries. Findings from the study showed the challenges of RDRAs on Nigerian irregular migrants in that, most return carried out by the EU are not in compliance with the laid down regulation as some migrants are return to countries of transit. Moreover, the conditionality attached to readmission agreements are only applicable for high-skilled migrants, a situation described as brain drain for Nigeria and brain gain for the EU. The study concluded that EU RDRAs are restrictive in nature which provide escape routes for irregular migrants in European countries, and that lack of compliance on RDRAs are the results of unlawful detention of Nigerian irregular migrants by the EU as well as torture and abuse by the security officials and traffickers, a situation that violate human rights.

APPLICATION OF A SYSTEM-SYNERGISTIC APPROACH TO MANAGING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL ENTERPRISES WHILE ENSURING THEIR ECONOMIC SECURITY

The formation of an effective economic system on an innovative basis is one of the most important tasks of the current stage of socio-economic development, since the systemic interaction of all elements of the economic system, forming a single economic space, allows for the most effective realisation of the benefits of the division of labour and specialisation in innovative forms. At the same time, the ability of production and economic entities to maintain the ability to expand the reproduction of innovations (while maintaining the scale and pace of innovation reproduction) in the event of disturbing internal and external actions – innovation sustainability – is becoming increasingly important. This is particularly important in the formation of integrated associations and integral economic complexes as sustainable systems to increase the dynamics and balance of the proportions of the innovation reproduction process. In the context of continuity and heterogeneity of innovations, it is extremely important to consider their innovation sustainability from the perspective of a systemic approach to the management of an economic system. Purpose of the article. The scope of research on strategic management of regional development is quite wide, but given the current economic situation, the consequences of the pandemic and martial law, this issue needs even more attention, as most regions of Ukraine are unstable and economically unprofitable, so it is necessary to consider special levers and directions that will help strategically effective management of regional enterprises and ensure their economic security. Methodology. The methodological basis of the article is a set of methods and principles of scientific knowledge, general and special methods and techniques used in the study. The theoretical basis of the study is the scientific work of domestic and foreign scientists on sustainable development, economic security and innovation. The information base is based on official statistics, reports and accounting information of enterprises, resources and publications of the Internet, and the results of the author's own research. Practical implications. The results obtained and the recommendations developed form the basis for improving the strategic management of the sustainable development of regional enterprises while ensuring their economic security. Value/originality. A mechanism of strategic management of sustainable development of regional enterprises was created using a system-synergistic approach, which includes a system of resources, methods and tools for influencing innovation processes and is based on the principles of self-organisation of complex systems in the process of their adaptation to changes in an unstable environment and ensuring economic security, which will allow to coordinate the goals and directions of management of investment, operational and financial activities of regional enterprises to ensure their sustainable development.

Application of the Double Approximation Method for Constructing Stiffness Matrices of Volumetric Finite Elements

Introduction. When numerically solving problems of elasticity theory in a three-dimensional formulation by the finite element method, finite elements (FE) in the form of parallelepipeds, prisms and tetrahedra are used. Regularly, the construction of stiffness matrices of volumetric FE is based on the principle of isoparametricity, which involves the Lagrange polynomials to approximate the geometry and displacements. In computational practice, the most widespread FE are the so-called multilinear isoparametric FE with a linear law of approximation of displacements. The main disadvantage of these elements lies in the “locking” effect when modulating bending deformations. Moreover, the error of the numerical solution increases drastically in the case when the structure, in comparison to conventional deformations, undergoes significant displacements as a rigid whole. Long-term experience in solving problems of deformable solid mechanics by the finite element method has shown that existing volumetric FE have slow convergence, specifically, when modeling bending deformations of plates and shells. This study aims at constructing stiffness matrices of multilinear volumetric FE of increased accuracy allowing for rigid displacements based on the double approximation method.Materials and Methods. The mathematical apparatus of the double approximation method based on the principle of a separate representation of the distribution functions of displacements and deformations inside the element, was used to construct the stiffness matrices of volumetric FE. The storage and processing of the resulting system of equations was implemented in algorithmic terms of sparse matrices. Software development and computational experiments were carried out using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 64-bit computing platform and the Intel ® Parallel Studio XE 2019 compiler with the integrated Intel ® Visual Fortran Composer XE 2019 text editor. Visualization of the calculation results was performed using the descriptor graphics of the MATLAB computer mathematics package. A large eight-node SOLID185 CE of the ANSYS Mechanical software complex was used as a test sample.Results. Mathematical tool and software were developed to study the stress-strain state of massive structures under various types of external actions. The authorized application software package was verified on test examples with known analytical solutions. It has been shown that the constructed FE accurately satisfy the basic requirements for finite element modeling of spatial problems of elasticity theory.Discussion and Conclusion. The performed testing of the developed mathematical and program toolkit has shown that the finite elements constructed on the basis of the double approximation method can successfully compete with similar SOLID185 volumetric elements of the ANSYS Mechanical software complex. The proposed elements can be integrated into domestic import-substituting software systems that implement the finite element method in the form of the displacement method.

Strengthening the EU’s defence cooperation

In an expeditiously changing world, security challenges have become more intricate, multifaceted and complex. The 21st century is an epoch of strategic competition and multisided relations. The influence and rate of occurrence of hybrid security threats are constantly rising and deepening. World is in era of transition, characterized by creating new dynamics by emerging players along with significant shift of geopolitical and economic power, and currently, global attention is drawn to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is the consequent catalyst for the EU states, obligating them to take more responsibility and  improve  security and defence. Russia does not use force only to dominate on Ukraine, but this war aims to reverse and strike down western dominance - it is a big threat-economically, militarily, and politically. In an international competition, other powers are challenging the European countries’ ability to protect their interests and values that was the motivation for the idea of collective security building called "strategic sovereignty".  For this reason, both defence and security fields are essentially important for the European Union. The EU leaders have long been trying to improve common defence policy - the European Union External Action Service in 2011, and later in 2016, the EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker called for a common defence fund, a “European headquarters.“ In March 2022, the EU council approved the Strategic Compass. The Compass gives the European Union an ambitious plan of action for strengthening the EU's security and defence policy by 2030 (EU, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to invest in its own collective security framework in the face of Russian military moves on the bloc’s doorstep - "Europe needs to finally build its own collective security framework on our continent."  We argue about the prospects of collective security and the fact that it may now be time for the EU member States to take the necessary decisions.